Upper South

June, 2013
Regional Report

Web Finds

National Center for Home Food Preservation
Maybe you've been canning and freezing garden produce for years and just have an occasional question. Or perhaps you've decided that this is the year for your first foray into preserving. Whichever category you fall into, beginner or old-hand, the National Center for Home Food Preservation is a wonderful resource for current research-based recommendations for most methods of home food preservation. Established with funding from the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Center offers information on canning, freezing, drying, curing and smoking, fermenting, pickling, and making jams and jellies. There are seasonal tips, a frequently-asked-questions section, links, and publications available.

Books

Identifying Backyard Bugs
Whitney Cranshaw, professor and Extension specialist at Colorado State University, who's responsible for developing pest management programs for insect pests on horticultural crops, has authored a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the common insects and mites affecting yard and garden plants in North America. Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs (Princeton University Press, 2004; $29.95) covers 1,420 insects and includes full-color photos of various life stages as well as concise, clear, scientifically accurate text providing basic information on host plants, characteristic damage caused to plants, distribution, life history, habits, and how to keep the pesky insects in check.

For those of you who are more digitally inclined, Garden Insects of North America -- Pictures for Identifying and Organic Controls by Moni Hayne (2013) is available as a Kindle Edition from Amazon.com for $4.99. This e-book covers 30 of the most common insect pests in the garden, as well as the beneficial ones whose presence you want to encourage, along with organic control strategies.